The Quebec Federation of
Labour and its 500,000
members remain deter-
mined to beat back the
Liberal government's attempt to pri-
vatize and contract out public ser-
vices and limit collective bargaining
in private nursing homes. “I've never
seen such disgusting garbage in 40
years,” OFL leader Henry Masse told
a rally in December of last year. The
OFL is also fighting against the
forced merger of bargaining units in
; hospitals and cuts to day care ser-

4 . vices throughout the province.

Average worker not sharing
economic booms says AFL
In late January a booklet released by
é the Alberta Federation of Labour
revealed that average workers have
not shared in the economic boom of
the last decade. The province led the
country in economic growth in nine
of the past ten years (1993-2003).
Natural gas revenues have skyrocket-
ed while labour productivity is the
highest in the coun-
try. Meanwhile.
Alberta has the
country’s lowest
mininum wage at $5.90 per hour,
rock bottom welfare rates (a single
parent with one kid gets only $11,636
per year) and repressive labour laws,
to ensure that unionization rates are
the lowest in the country.

¢ Fed calls for public inquiry on
~ \ trades training scandal in B.C.

On February 5, the B.C. Federation of

Labour called for a public inquiry on

trades training in the

province. Allegations
BCFED

have been made that
the manager of trades
training had inflated
scores on “Red Seal”
accreditation. Fed president Jim Sinclair
said the deregulation of trades training
has been a mistake. A new system, to be
put introduced on April 1, 2004 will not
allow for verification of workers by
provincial and municipal inspectors.
Sinclair says the door will be open to
non-skilled and semi-skilled trades.

Local participates in classes
on labour law and pensions
Local 1-184 has recently participated
in a couple of Saskatchewan
Federation of Labour labour education

seminars in Regina. On January 21-22
the local sent dele-

gates from Big River,
Carrot River and
Estevan to study up
on the latest labour
law and arbitration
in the province. Then from
ry 11-13, delegates from Big
Carrot River and Hudson Bay

to various courses on pensions.
of IWA members is

EVERY YEAR CANADIANS

spend over $18 billion on

prescription drugs. At the

bargaining table, trade

unions are coming up
against the issue of skyrocketing drug
costs with every employer they meet.
There was a 14.5 per cent increase in
prescription drug costs in 2001 alone.
One health benefits provider, Green
Shields Canada, claims that prescrip-
tion drug costs have shot up five times
faster than the country’s Consumer
Price Index in recent years.

Cost issues, says the Canadian
Labour Congress, are having an impact
on the sustainability of the public
health care system. In a submission to

PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA

= Even with restrictions, Canadian drug companies jack up drug prices with
advertising budgets and extended patent protections.

CLC calls for action on drug costs

the House of Commons Standing
Committee Health Regarding the
Study on Prescription Drugs, the CLC
noted “prescription drugs in particular,
are a growing cost burden, perhaps an
unsustainable one.”

Private sector drug plans, such as
negotiated by trade unions like the IWA
Canada, pay for about 64 per cent of pre-
scription costs in Canada, covering some
17 million Canadians. At the bargaining
table, unions are being pressured to
increase co-payments of those plans, pay
more on the deductibles, use generic ver-
sus brand name drugs protected by
patents or drop plans altogether. Both
employers and major unions are
expressing concerns about transferring

more costs to employers and workers.

Across the country, Workers’
Compensation systems are also incur-
ing bigger drug costs, putting on pres-
sure to raise premiums for employers.

Ninety per cent of Canadians have
some prescription drug coverage — only
Io per cent are covered fully. At the
same time there are over 600,000
Canadians who have absolutely no
presciption drug insurance. On aver-
age they pay some 4.5 per cent of their
disposable incomes on prescriptions.
Only 58 per cent of lowest income
Canadians have some coverage while
87 per cent of highest income
Canadians do. In short, the poor have
less and spend less, and are faced with
greater health problems.

The CLC recommends that the fed-
eral government establish a national,
public drug plan, based on the single
payer model, to be phased in. For fam-
ilies with lower incomes, especially
those facing catastrophic drug costs,
the plan must protect completely.

The Congress also says the federal
government should start discussions
with labour, business and health care
professionals on a framework for the
establishment and funding of a
National Pharmacare Plan.

To contain soaring drug costs, the
CLC notes that two recommendations
of the Romanow Commission on
Health Care be put into play: the
Creation of a National Drug Agency and
the establishment of a National Drug
Formulary. Among its duties the
agency would monitor drug prices for
fairness, evaluate the benefits of new
versus old drug therapies, report on

‘drug utilization trends, disseminate

information on prescription practices
and keep an eye on adverse outcomes.
The formulary, along with the National
Pharmare Plan, could improve access to
effective drugs for all Canadians and
line up savings through bulk purchases.

Key recommendations include doing
away with increased patent protection
and forcing companies to back off on
direct-to-consumer advertising, which
adds a staggering $2 billion a year to
drug costs in Canada. The congress rec-
ommends that the standing committee
examine ways to undertake public edu-
cation on prescription drug use.

Pay equity document refused
The New Brunswick Federation of
Labour has joined with the N.B.
Coalition for Pay Equity in refusing to
sign proposals from the New
Brunswick Wage Gap
Roundtable. The Fed
¥-\ and Coalition refused

& to support voluntary
measures to solve the
pay equity crisis in
the province, where, in the top ten
jobs dominated by men, women are
only paid 59 per cent of their coun-
terparts. A submission to Training
and Employment Minister Margaret
Blamey in early January, pointed out
that gender-based wage discrimmi-
nation has increased poverty in the
province and that equal pay for work
of equal value is non-negotiable and
is guaranteed by Canada’s Charter of
Rights and Freedoms.

Centre targets RSI awareness
The Manitoba Federation of
Labour's Occupational Health and
Safety Centre utilised February 29 to

hold an RSI
oO (Repetitive Strain
get Injury) Day. More
and more
= Manitoban workers

are suffering from
these types of
injuries. Injured workers, trade
unionists, health and safety profes-
sionals and health care practitioners
took part to organize events in work-
places and communities. The
province-wide campaign saw letters
to editors, the lobbying of local
politicians for recognition of the day,
and a call for joint OH&S commit-
tees to do more. Issues of action
aimed at prevention, rehabilitation
and compensation were publicized.

Federation makes submission
to improve access for disabled
In February the Ontario Federation of
Labour called for the Ontarians with
Disabilities Act to be
amended so that
legislation is more
Proactive in remov-
Ca ing barriers to par-
OFL/FTO ticipation for the dis-
abled in both the workplace and the
community (i.e. transportation).
According to an OFL submission to the
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigraton,
all parties should work together to
remove barriers by setting a timetable
to review them through a series of
methods and practices. A separate
agency should also be set up to
enforce the removal of barriers. The
government held public meetings in
Windsor, Ottawa, Hamilton and
Peterborough in February and has
meetings planned for Sudbury, Toronto
and Thunder Bay in March.

MARCH 2004 THE ALLIED WORKER | 19